Starter Kit. Idea 56 of 500. Cluster 3
Eco-friendly fashion in organic cotton
The mechanism, from the book
The Zermatt water bottle. Sigiriya has not got a stone with its own name on it.
The first step
Have one garment made in organic cotton by a small tailor, a shirt or a simple dress, and photograph it on a real person in a real place on the island. Post it in three sustainable fashion communities with a stated price and ask for pre-orders. Ten pre-orders tell you the demand is there before you buy any stock.
- Who pays first
- Visitors and buyers abroad who want sustainable clothing with a clear origin and will pay more for it.
- What leaves today
- The island sews garments for other people's labels; its own organic line keeps the brand, the story and the premium.
Ask first
- Sri Lanka Standards Institution. Ask whether any standard or certificate supports an organic cotton claim on a label.
- Sri Lanka Export Development Board. Ask which markets abroad they see for small fashion brands.
Check before you spend
That any organic claim can be proved with certificates from the cotton supplier, and that labels meet the rules of the country you sell into.
Find out these three numbers
- What will a buyer pay for an organic cotton shirt?
- What does certified organic cotton cost per metre?
- How many pieces must a first order be?
The test
Does it keep value that now leaves the island, or build the proof that lets somebody else do so?
From the appendix of Why Not Sri Lanka? by Dr Maheshika Halbeisen. The idea and the mechanism are the book's; this kit was written for the site.